Japan benefit concert

Residents walk through the debris in the aftermath of the earthquake. � Flickr User Carsten Knoche

A
concert to benefit the rebuilding of Japan in the aftermath of the triple disaster is 7 p.m. Mar. 20 in Ritsche Auditorium.

Performed by the nationally known St. Cloud State Wind
Ensemble, Ganbare Japan! —
Japan Relief Benefit Concert will include American classics as well
as Japanese band works by Soichi Konagaya and Toshio Mashima.

The concert will raise funds for victims in the
Tohoku region of northeastern Honshu Island. The disasters on March 11 that killed more than 16,000 people started with a 9.0 magnitude earthquake
that created a tsunami and led to a nuclear plant leak in Fukushima Prefecture.

Japanese festival customs, attire and traditions will
be on display in the lobby preceding the concert. Professor of music and Director of Bands Richard (Rik) K. Hansen will give a pre-concert talk on his
residency experiences teaching in Japan and on the current state of rebuilding.

Donations
will be accepted at the event with proceeds going to CRASH Japan, a non-profit Christian disaster relief organization based in Tokyo meeting the needs of survivors in Tohoku.

The Wind Ensemble is the University’s premiere
concert band ensemble, comprised of the finest wind and percussion musicians on
campus. The ensemble is committed to performing the highest quality music, ranging from time honored classics to world premieres of new music. The band is nationally recognized with frequent performances for national, regional and state professional conventions.

Tickets are free for SCSU students and employees, children under 12, senior citizens and veterans. Adult tickets are $8.